The 2026 WSOP has reached its midpoint, with Adrian Mateos leading the earnings race. See the biggest winners, the Foxen family surge and the high-roller impact.
The 2026 World Series of Poker has reached its halfway stage, and the early numbers tell a familiar but fascinating story: elite high-stakes specialists are turning a handful of deep runs into seven-figure summers, while volume players are building formidable campaigns one cash at a time.
With 26 days of the 51-day Las Vegas series completed, Spain's Adrian Mateos sits atop the 2026 WSOP money leaderboard. His explosive start has put him ahead of a field packed with established champions, rising stars and high-roller regulars.
Adrian Mateos sets the pace at the 2026 WSOP
Adrian Mateos has been the standout performer of the first half of the 2026 WSOP, banking more than $4.46 million across three cashes.
The centerpiece was his victory in the $250,000 Super High Roller, where he defeated Bryn Kenney heads-up on Event #41: $250K Super High Roller NLHE to secure a sixth WSOP bracelet. The result was more than another marquee title: it made Mateos the youngest player ever to win six WSOP bracelets.
At only 31, Mateos continues to combine longevity with peak performance. His 2026 run has also helped push him further up poker's all-time money rankings, underlining why he remains one of tournament poker's most feared big-buy-in competitors.
2026 WSOP Money Leaders at the Halfway Point
|
Rank
|
Player
|
Country
|
Cashes
|
Earnings
|
|
1
|
Adrian Mateos
|
Spain
|
3
|
$4,466,161
|
|
2
|
Yuri Dzivielevski
|
Brazil
|
6
|
$2,889,773
|
|
3
|
Bryn Kenney
|
United States
|
1
|
$2,776,634
|
|
4
|
Eelis Pärssinen
|
Finland
|
2
|
$2,261,056
|
|
5
|
Sean Winter
|
United States
|
3
|
$2,111,426
|
|
6
|
Teun Mulder
|
Netherlands
|
3
|
$2,034,247
|
|
7
|
Santhosh Suvarna
|
India
|
2
|
$1,975,839
|
|
8
|
David Einhorn
|
United States
|
1
|
$1,862,941
|
|
9
|
Alex Foxen
|
United States
|
7
|
$1,822,696
|
|
10
|
Kristen Foxen
|
Canada
|
3
|
$1,819,062
|
Here are the leading earners through the first half of the series:
The table highlights one of the defining themes of the 2026 WSOP so far: a single deep run in a massive high roller can transform a summer instantly. But it also shows the value of consistency, especially when the schedule still has weeks of bracelet events left to play.
The Foxens turn the WSOP into a Family Affair
Alex Foxen and Kristen Foxen have created one of the summer's best storylines.
Kristen captured a $25,000 High Roller title for $1,773,083 and her sixth career bracelet. Alex followed with a bracelet win of his own in the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty, earning $594,246.
Together, they have already amassed more than $3.6 million in earnings during the opening half of the series. Alex's seven cashes are also the most among the top 20 earners, proving that the Foxens' success has been built on both trophy-winning peaks and relentless tournament volume.
Their matching bracelet victories made them only the second married couple to win individual WSOP bracelets in the same summer, adding a historic layer to an already remarkable campaign.
High Rollers are driving the 2026 WSOP Earnings Race
The $250,000 Super High Roller has had an outsized impact on the halfway leaderboard.
Mateos' victory produced the biggest score of the series so far, while Bryn Kenney's runner-up finish was worth $2.77 million. David Einhorn also earned $1.86 million for a third-place result in the event.
Those payouts illustrate the modern WSOP dynamic: high rollers may attract smaller fields, but the prize pools can reshape the money list in one afternoon. Six players inside the current top 20 have reached their position through just one cash, showing how valuable a single elite final table can be.
That does not diminish the achievement. Surviving a high-roller field packed with world-class opponents is one of poker's toughest assignments. Still, the contrast between one-score stars and volume grinders will be a key storyline for the remainder of the summer.
What to Watch in the Second Half of the 2026 WSOP
The race is far from over.
Mateos has a substantial lead, but the WSOP calendar still offers major bracelet events, championship buy-ins and the Main Event's delayed conclusion later in the year. One more seven-figure score could dramatically change the top of the standings.
Players such as Dzivielevski, Winter, Mulder and the Foxens have already shown they can generate multiple deep runs. Meanwhile, Kenney and Einhorn have demonstrated that a single appearance in the right event can be enough to vault into contention.
The second half of the 2026 WSOP will determine whether Mateos can convert his hot start into the summer's biggest overall payday, or whether another superstar finds the one score that changes everything.
Source:
https://www.pokernews.com/news/2026/06/who-has-made-the-most-money-at-the-2026-wsop-so-far-51613.htm
https://www.pokernews.com/tours/wsop/2026-wsop/event-41-super-high-roller/
